US gunman 'fixated' on congresswoman

2011-01-10 09:02

Tucson - The young man charged with the shooting of a congresswoman that stunned the United States posted essays that were barely coherent but focused ruthlessly on his goal of meeting her, officials said on Sunday.

As Americans asked if 22-year-old Jared Loughner had a political motive for Saturday's bloodbath, early accounts from officials and acquaintances depicted a troubled and lonely man who may have suffered from mental problems.

A picture in the yearbook of his high school in Tucson, Arizona showed a shaggy-haired boy allowing a small smile. Classmates recounted a steady downward spiral until last year he was kicked out of a community college.

"I think he slowly descended in a psychotic break. Something in him snapped. He wasn't always like this," Caitie Parker, who went to high school with Loughner, wrote on the micro-blogging service Twitter.

Parker remembered Loughner agreeing with left-wing views and enjoying the punk band Anti-Flag. But she said he knew him several years ago and recalled that he had become fond of discussing prophecies about 2012, when according to some interpretations of Mayan prophecy the world will end.

Loughner's postings on the internet reveal a fascination with hardline ideology as he listed Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels's The Communist Manifesto and Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf among his favourite books.

'New currency'

In one item on the video-swapping site YouTube, a hooded Loughner sets fire to a US flag in the desert to the sounds of heavy metal band Drowning Pool and its lyrics, "Nothing wrong with me/Something's got to give/Let the bodies hit the floor."

His statements often took the form of logic exercises, posing an idea and then offering a conclusion. He frequently spoke of creating a new currency.

"You're not distributing your new currency lethally to people. Thus, you're distributing your new currency non-lethally to people," he wrote on YouTube.

In another posting, he wrote: "The majority of people who reside in District 8 are illiterate - hilarious. I don't control your English grammar structure, but you control your English grammar structure."

He said that his favourite activity is "conscience dreaming" and declared: "My ambition is for informing conscience dreamers about a new currency. In a few days, you know I'm conscience dreaming!"

Prosecutors said Loughner, armed with a Glock automatic pistol, shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in the head on Saturday as she met constituents at a routine meet-and-greet at a suburban supermarket. Six others died, including a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge.

It was not the first time he sought out Giffords, a centrist lawmaker from President Barack Obama's Democratic Party.

Troubled

Investigators searched Loughner's modest family home in the desert city and found a letter from Giffords dating from August 2007 thanking him for attending a public meeting similar to Saturday's one, according to the charge sheet.

Found in a safe along with the letter was an envelope marked "I planned ahead", "My assassination" and "Giffords" written by hand, as well as what appeared to be Loughner's signature, the affidavit said.

In a later interview with Fox News, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik quoted from another letter Loughner wrote in which "he indicated that he was going to kill that 'bleeping' lady".

Asked if it was clear that Giffords was the intended target, Dupnik replied: "There is no doubt about it. There is no doubt in our mind this was an act of a single, very troubled individual."

Prosecutors said that Loughner bought his gun from a local store in November. Two months earlier, Pima Community College had suspended him, seeking assurances that he did not pose a threat to fellow students.

Student Lynda Sorenson, in an e-mail reprinted by The Washington Post, warned presciently that Loughner could be "one of those whose picture you see on the news after he has come into class with an automatic weapon".

She said that she sat close to the door when he entered as Loughner "scares the living crap out of me".

Comments

Megan - 2011-01-10 09:38

Surely something should have been done and alarm bells ringing about this guy sooner? Tragically six people had to loose their lives because nobody took the time to try and help this disturbed individual.

Christoffsmuts - 2011-01-10 10:14

Megan here is something really disturbing she have a youtube channel, with 2 subscriptions one of a politican's and one of her killer. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/user/giffords2

Christoffsmuts - 2011-01-10 10:14

Megan here is something really disturbing she have a youtube channel, with 2 subscriptions one of a politican's and one of her killer. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/user/giffords2

Christoffsmuts - 2011-01-10 10:25

Gabrielle Giffords Subscribed to the Killer's youtube channel and she can someone please explain that mystery.

Christoffsmuts - 2011-01-10 10:27

I am not trying to spam this page news 24 please follow this link before removing it again. HELL LOOK and tell me what you see! if you dont believe me. http://www.youtube.com/user/giffords2

Christoffsmuts - 2011-01-10 10:27

I am not trying to spam this page news 24 please follow this link before removing it again. HELL LOOK and tell me what you see! if you dont believe me. http://www.youtube.com/user/giffords2

Natasha KC - 2011-01-10 10:32

What on Earth can a 22 year old be so troubled, angry and hateful about?! I mean really. When we think of a 22 year old ... You wouldn't think "Crazed, dillusional killer". This is sad and very tragic. May the souls of the murdered rest in peace and may the families affected by the horrible series of events find peace someday.

JDuvenhage - 2011-01-10 11:29

Blame Drowning Pool...

JDuvenhage - 2011-01-10 11:29

Blame Drowning Pool...

Krush - 2011-01-10 21:34

Schizophrenia...

Krush - 2011-01-10 21:34

Schizophrenia...

Lemurian - 2011-01-10 10:53

If the shooter had been some one of color, he would have been a cold hearted terrorist. He is white, so he is a "troubled youth".

Wendy - 2011-01-10 11:25

Sad but true

Wendy - 2011-01-10 11:25

Sad but true

JDuvenhage - 2011-01-10 11:28

Oh please really? You assumptions of white bigotry are duly noted. Jump off that horse please.

JDuvenhage - 2011-01-10 11:28

Oh please really? You assumptions of white bigotry are duly noted. Jump off that horse please.

paulmandlankosi - 2011-01-10 11:33

Really?

paulmandlankosi - 2011-01-10 11:33

Really?

Ibo - 2011-01-10 11:53

i like the way you put it.

Ibo - 2011-01-10 11:53

i like the way you put it.

Ibo - 2011-01-10 12:15

To those who seem wants strangle lemurian for what she said your reaction just proves her view. Have anyone follow the Australian saga for the KFC worker who was angry and shout because someone was filming him? The white-Christianists media found ways to call the incident of one guy as “Islamic anti-social behaviour”.
There is a big talk going on all over the net about this. leave alone the fact that the question should be asked on why you are filming me without my permission? But the point that on the video when the worker got mad his “probably Muslim co-workers” pulled him out of the counter and took him back to cool him down, but whites Australian and professional journalists got their ways to blame Islam and Muslims in Australia and now in all over the world.
(http://bajanreporter.com/australian-customer-verbally-assaulted-by-kfc-muslim-employee-for-daring-to-ask-for-bacon/)
just look at the title of the headline of the Australian article.

Ibo - 2011-01-10 12:15

To those who seem wants strangle lemurian for what she said your reaction just proves her view. Have anyone follow the Australian saga for the KFC worker who was angry and shout because someone was filming him? The white-Christianists media found ways to call the incident of one guy as “Islamic anti-social behaviour”.
There is a big talk going on all over the net about this. leave alone the fact that the question should be asked on why you are filming me without my permission? But the point that on the video when the worker got mad his “probably Muslim co-workers” pulled him out of the counter and took him back to cool him down, but whites Australian and professional journalists got their ways to blame Islam and Muslims in Australia and now in all over the world.
(http://bajanreporter.com/australian-customer-verbally-assaulted-by-kfc-muslim-employee-for-daring-to-ask-for-bacon/)
just look at the title of the headline of the Australian article.

pointblankza - 2011-01-10 12:52

@Ibo, people have the question mark to Lemurian's post because out of nowhere she brought up race.... You both clearly have race issues you need to resolve within yourselves as it is clear you see everything as a race thing?

pointblankza - 2011-01-10 12:52

@Ibo, people have the question mark to Lemurian's post because out of nowhere she brought up race.... You both clearly have race issues you need to resolve within yourselves as it is clear you see everything as a race thing?

Ibo - 2011-01-10 13:35

What is the crap from pointblankza? He have no even time to accept the truth. Why you people don’t like to be criticise while you normally gives yourself the right to criticise and teas everyone, what is wrong with you? Whose the hell you think you are? In this white news24 they constantly focus on Africans and ways to criticise and tell the world how bad, how backward, and how crime has rampant in South Africa. It’s very opposite to media from USA, UK etc and the ways they talk about their countries.
News24 is a white rightwing media, why you don’t like that to be said? Remember that originally you the one who invented the colour thing on everything. Have ever you guess on the way the media could cover this shooting incident if it were in South Africa?

Ibo - 2011-01-10 13:35

What is the crap from pointblankza? He have no even time to accept the truth. Why you people don’t like to be criticise while you normally gives yourself the right to criticise and teas everyone, what is wrong with you? Whose the hell you think you are? In this white news24 they constantly focus on Africans and ways to criticise and tell the world how bad, how backward, and how crime has rampant in South Africa. It’s very opposite to media from USA, UK etc and the ways they talk about their countries.
News24 is a white rightwing media, why you don’t like that to be said? Remember that originally you the one who invented the colour thing on everything. Have ever you guess on the way the media could cover this shooting incident if it were in South Africa?

Niels - 2011-01-10 15:05

Ridiculous as this sounds, Lemurian, I am afraid you have a good point there.

Niels - 2011-01-10 15:05

Ridiculous as this sounds, Lemurian, I am afraid you have a good point there.

Jack - 2011-01-10 18:46

lol, so true. but it is normal for people of colour to act all crazy, when white people act this way they must be mental!!

Jack - 2011-01-10 18:46

lol, so true. but it is normal for people of colour to act all crazy, when white people act this way they must be mental!!

melanotansa - 2011-01-10 10:58

Wouldn't put it past the communist liberals orchestrating this event to get the american public behind their proposed Gun-Control (public dis-empowerment) laws.

Wendy - 2011-01-10 11:27

Hmmmmm

Wendy - 2011-01-10 11:27

Hmmmmm

kiwisaqx - 2011-01-16 04:32

If you read of all the false flag operations of the Republicans + Democrats all over the world, including the USA, against their own people, you can believe anything. An old example is James Edgar Hoover - head of the FBI. Power is the drug.

Icarus - 2011-01-10 15:01

America is the breeding place for nuts like this...! Most americans live in the clouds, thinking their country is the only "civilized" one....? The twisted, plastic culture , capitalist greed...an obsession with material wealth, power and status... Where torture, violence and abuse is sensationalized....These are the very reasons why the US has so many psychos...

james4usa - 2011-01-10 15:13

The Guy was anti Govt. anti Semite, She was Jewish and Govt. The Holy Talmud forbids Jews to go into host country Govt.

Icarus - 2011-01-10 15:27

@Ibo
That KFC incident shows the mind-altering effects that islam has on the minds of muslims. In other words, islam makes seemingly "nice" muslims behave like lunatics...? Look at the salman rushdie incident...? Muslims around the world in countries like indonesia were screaming for the death of rushie, but when many of them were interviewed live on TV, they had no idea who rushdie was, or what he had done...? This is the reality of islam for you. The problem today is that many islamic sympathizers like you seem to think there is a global campaign to discredit islam...? It's because people like you know nothing about such issues, but are only to quick to post a comment, hey ...?

Ibo - 2011-01-10 17:09

@icarus: I read your rubbish over ten times but I still to get the meaning of it. That KFC incident shows the mind-altering effects that Christians have on Muslims and the guts of a christianist & white supremacist and the biasness of your so-called professional journalists. two or three Muslims; The one who shout the costomer,2 the one who pulled him out of the counter, and the one was calming things down and then save the customer.
Why you only focus on one? Did you have a personally problem with him and now want link it to his faith? What is the faith of the other guys? Did the professional journalist who wrote that article took a time to found out the faith of the other guys and write a word of the thanks to their responsible behaviour? The bias part of your explanation is alarming but my attention went more on the level of your ignorance.
You mean you want keep bashing anyone you want without been told that you are wrong? Are what you telling here is some version of American passion which can tell but not been told, accuse but not been accused, criticise but not been criticised, judge but been judge? Have you ever read some of the documents of wikileaks? Do you know how they (wikileaks) been followed by the protectors of freedom of expression and freedom of information?
You did and doing the most atrocities the history of man ever to know and yet you don’t even like it to said, so no guess why Julian Assange become enemy number one or enemy of the state.
The most appalling of your behaviour is not the atrocities you did and still doing all over the world but the fact that you don’t want your victims to even cry, when someone talk about your abuse & impunity of it he or she is automatically been add on the list of the “Islamic sympathizer” as you put it or maybe he has been add on the list of “the terrorists”. Really there is something wrong with you.

Ibo - 2011-01-10 17:09

@icarus: I read your rubbish over ten times but I still to get the meaning of it. That KFC incident shows the mind-altering effects that Christians have on Muslims and the guts of a christianist & white supremacist and the biasness of your so-called professional journalists. two or three Muslims; The one who shout the costomer,2 the one who pulled him out of the counter, and the one was calming things down and then save the customer.
Why you only focus on one? Did you have a personally problem with him and now want link it to his faith? What is the faith of the other guys? Did the professional journalist who wrote that article took a time to found out the faith of the other guys and write a word of the thanks to their responsible behaviour? The bias part of your explanation is alarming but my attention went more on the level of your ignorance.
You mean you want keep bashing anyone you want without been told that you are wrong? Are what you telling here is some version of American passion which can tell but not been told, accuse but not been accused, criticise but not been criticised, judge but been judge? Have you ever read some of the documents of wikileaks? Do you know how they (wikileaks) been followed by the protectors of freedom of expression and freedom of information?
You did and doing the most atrocities the history of man ever to know and yet you don’t even like it to said, so no guess why Julian Assange become enemy number one or enemy of the state.
The most appalling of your behaviour is not the atrocities you did and still doing all over the world but the fact that you don’t want your victims to even cry, when someone talk about your abuse & impunity of it he or she is automatically been add on the list of the “Islamic sympathizer” as you put it or maybe he has been add on the list of “the terrorists”. Really there is something wrong with you.

kiwisaqx - 2011-01-16 04:24

The lefty media immediatly blamed Loughner's acts on things that Palin and other conservatives 'said'. No checking the truth.
It must be a bitter pill for them to read the (lefty/liberal/progressive/Loughner) facts that expose their undermining propaganda. They just believe that the sheeple of the world will eat up their 'dust'.